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Former Sheriff's Conviction Overturned By Court

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A former western Tennessee sheriff could have another trial after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals overturned his 2013 conviction for attempted voluntary manslaughter.

Former Henderson County Sheriff Ricky Lunsford was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted in Madison County on charges that he had shot at and attempted to kill his wife, Mary Lunsford, in April 2012.

News outlets reported the conviction was overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday on the grounds that the trial court failed to properly instruct the jury that Mary Lunsford had previously faced a domestic assault charge.

Ricky Lunsford's attorney Mark Donahoe said his client was concerned his wife was carrying a weapon in an ankle holster.

Donahoe said the state has 30 days to appeal the reversal to the Tennessee State Supreme Court.